


Déjà Vu

by NahaFlowers



Category: Indian Summers (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, F/M, Gen, Mentions of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 18:07:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6715657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NahaFlowers/pseuds/NahaFlowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alice and Aafrin celebrate escaping her husband with a bottle of whisky, along with Sooni, whose Dutch courage persuades her to go and talk to Ian. Spoilers for 2x07.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Déjà Vu

**Author's Note:**

> So I was wondering what drunk Sooni would be like, and my brain decided to take that idea and run with it. This is the result, semi-serious crack. Enjoy!

Aafrin had brought a bottle of whisky to celebrate their successful escape and all three of them had been drinking fairly steadily since late afternoon. It was now almost midnight, and Sooni, who was not used to drinking alcohol, was drunk. And more argumentative than ever.

Aafrin had gone out a few minutes before, ostensibly to check that they hadn’t been followed, but Alice suspected it was to get away from a rambunctious Sooni and the headache that was coming on from the alcohol combined with the stress of the last few days.

Alice for her part was rather enjoying herself, especially earlier when she had told Sooni about Charlie and Sooni had responded by saying that someone should hit him where it hurts, berating Aafrin for not doing it himself and culminating in her threatening to march right back up there and do it herself, since all men were apparently useless. (She was only appeased when Alice told her that Aafrin had in fact punched Charlie in the face as they had made good their escape). Sooni had laughed then, but had looked at her brother with a fierce pride in her eyes.

Since Aafrin had left, Sooni had actually been quiet for a few minutes, but now she stood up and announced, “I’m going out.”

Alice looked up. “What? Where are you going?”

Sooni bit her lip. “I’m going to talk to Mr Mcleod.” She turned and stalked towards the door without waiting for a response, but Alice hurried after her.

“Sooni, you can’t.” Sooni whirled around with her hands on her hips, opening her mouth to speak. “What are you going to say to him?” She finished hurriedly.

Sooni avoided Alice’s eyes as she answered. “I don’t know.” She raised her chin defiantly. “But I have to talk to him.”

“All right but not right now-” Alice stopped talking abruptly as she noticed that Sooni wasn’t listening and was instead heading off in the direction of the trees. “Sooni, you can’t go anywhere now!” She ran after Sooni as she continued walking away, unheeding of Alice’s words. “At least wait until your brother gets back!” she said desperately, finally getting close enough to grab the material of her sari. Sooni turned briefly, shook her head and yanked her sari out of Alice’s grasp.

“Fine,” said Alice, frustrated. “But I’m coming with you.”

Sooni actually stopped and turned around then, looking worried. “No. You should go back. They’re probably looking for you.”

Alice folded her arms. “Either I come with you, or we go back together, right now.”

Sooni glared at Alice for nearly a full minute, but Sooni wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn. Finally she huffed. “Fine,” she said, and continued walking without another word, but she slowed her pace so Alice could catch up with her.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ian had been about to turn in for the night when he heard a thrashing in the undergrowth. He grabbed a torch and approached the disturbance cautiously, but to his surprise, heard voices - female voices.

“Sooni, the path to Mr Mcleod’s house was back down the other way! We’re not going to be able to get out this way, there’s too many plants-”

“Nonsense, it’s definitely this way. How many times have you been here?”

“None, but we’re clearly surrounded by thorns and stinging nettles and God knows what else on all sides here!”

“Stop complaining! Anyway we’re nearly out - I can see a light!”

At that moment Sooni burst out of the undergrowth right in front of Ian. She looked over her shoulder towards Alice, who was still struggling through the tangle of weeds, and said triumphantly, “Here we are, I told you so! We made it!” She turned round again, squinting in the light of the torch, only to see Ian’s face behind it. “Oh.”

Alice finally made it through the last of the undergrowth to see Sooni and Ian staring bemusedly at each other. After a moment Ian realised they were not alone and looked up at her. “Mrs Havistock…what are you doing here?”  
Alice winced at the sound of her married name. “Just Alice, please.”

Ian had the grace to look ashamed. “Of course,” he said seriously.

“And I think Sooni can explain that better than I can.”

Ian looked at Sooni expectantly. Sooni slowly turned her head to look at Alice, her mouth hanging open in an almost comical ‘O’. After an awkward extended pause in which Sooni looked from Ian to Alice like a rabbit caught in a trap, while Ian looked confused but expectant and Alice tried not to laugh, Ian rubbed his hands together.

“Why don’t we go inside and have some tea?”

Sooni seized upon the idea immediately, with relief. “Yes. Tea. Yours is very good. We should go and have some right now.” She took a few steps forward before stumbling and nearly falling, Ian reaching out to catch her.

A wry smile came onto Ian’s face. “Sooni, are you drunk?” he asked almost disbelievingly.

It was Alice who answered. “We may have overindulged a bit. After running away from my husband.”

Ian’s brow furrowed. “But why was Sooni with you?”

Since the answer to that question was that Sooni had wanted to avoid making a decision about her prospective suitors and Sooni herself was studiously avoiding looking at either of them, she thought it best to avoid answering for now. “Let’s go and have that tea, shall we?”

Ian looked between her and Sooni suspiciously, but eventually just shrugged and led the way down.

“So, what did you want to say to me?” Ian asked once they were all sat with their tea.

Sooni looked pleadingly up at Alice, who just shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know!” she said, despairingly. “I wanted to come and talk to you, no, I needed to come and talk to you. I thought once I was here I would know what to say! But I still don’t.” Sooni sounded almost on the verge of tears, frustrated and overwhelmed.

“Sooni, it’s alright, it’s alright,” he said, patting her shoulder awkwardly. “You don’t…” his voice caught, “you don’t have to decide anything right now, alright?”

Sooni looked up at him, biting her lip, and in that moment she looked so young and vulnerable. Sooni had always seemed so strong and fierce to Ian that he had almost thought her completely fearless. He was beginning to think he might have really misjudged his proposal, and he just hoped he hadn’t ruined their friendship completely.

“I’m just so tired,” she said in a small voice, and Ian felt his gut clench. He was going to have words with Alice (and possibly Aafrin as well) for letting her drink so much when she clearly wasn’t used to it.

“Why don’t we get you to bed?” he said gently, taking the teacup out of her hands.

“What, here?”

“Well, unless you fancy walking back the way you came?” Sooni shook her head. “Don’t worry, I’ll sleep outside.”

Sooni nodded and followed Ian inside. Alice came too, and as soon as he had seen she was settled, he left them to it, promising Alice to set up a bed for her too, and get a message to Aafrin.

 

The next morning, Sooni ventured out when the sun was almost at its zenith. When the sunlight hit her eyes her head gave a twinge of protest and she nearly turned around and went back to bed, but instead sat down in Ian’s abandoned chair where he had presumably spent the night.

She didn’t have to wait very long before Ian turned up. “Ah, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”

Sooni squinted up at him. “My head is pounding,” she said.

Ian burst out laughing.

Sooni did not appreciate him laughing at her pain. “What’s so funny?” she snapped.

Ian got himself under control, but couldn’t help grinning at Sooni. “Well, it’s just…doesn’t this remind you of something?”


End file.
